For the second straight season, Bills will play an inexperienced signal-caller against L.A.

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks for an open man during the second half of an NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018, in Baltimore. The Ravens defeated the Bills 47-3. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

COSTA MESA — For the second year in a row, a Bills rookie quarterback will make his first career start against the Chargers.

Last November, Buffalo trotted out fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman at StubHub Center, where he threw five interceptions in the first half. This Sunday, the Bills will turn to Josh Allen, handing their offense to the polarizing No. 7 overall pick out of Wyoming.

Coach Sean McDermott announced the switch from Peterman to Allen on Wednesday morning, explaining it as “the right move for our team.”

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He withheld additional details about his decision, even declining to say that Allen would play the entire game at New Era Field: “He’ll play it one play at a time.”

Regardless, it’s difficult to imagine Buffalo’s offense looking any worse. The 6-foot-5, 237-pound passer might be the most divisive young quarterback in recent memory, but his elite arm strength and mobility at offer upside — something that can’t be said for Peterman, who managed a 0.0 passer rating in a season-opening blowout loss.

The Chargers (0-1) were quick to highlight those positives when asked about Allen.

“Big, strong arm and really has a passion for the game,” said quarterback Philip Rivers, who met Allen during one of the 22-year-old’s pre-draft workouts in Orange County.

“He can move,” said Coach Anthony Lynn. “He can run RPOs (run-pass options). He can run the zone read. If you watched the game last week when he came in, they went straight down the field. Two of those were designed quarterback runs.”

“He’s better than I thought as a runner,” said rookie Chargers safety Derwin James. “Kind of surprised me a little bit.”

Not everyone has been as kind.

For some candid criticism, let us turn to James’ former Florida State teammate Jalen Ramsey, the All-Pro cornerback whose talent might be eclipsed only by his own confidence. The Jaguars defensive back savaged several NFL quarterbacks in an interview published by GQ last month, but saved some of his most pointed comments for Allen.

“I think Allen is trash,” Ramsey said. “I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I’m excited as hell. I hope he’s their starting quarterback.

“He played at Wyoming. … He never beat a big school. If you look at his games against big schools, it was always hella interceptions, hella turnovers. It’s like: Yo, if you’re this good, why couldn’t you do better? He fits that mold, he’s a big, tall quarterback. Big arm, supposedly. I don’t see it, personally.”

Ramsey may have a point. Small-school quarterbacks sometimes turn into NFL stars, but those success stories are usually preceded by college dominance. At Wyoming, Allen barely completed 56 percent of his passes in two seasons as a starter. In his three games against Power 5 opponents — Nebraska, Iowa and Oregon — he managed just one touchdown pass against eight interceptions.

Even those who liked Allen’s potential considered him a project, one who would be best served by developing behind a veteran quarterback. Strangely, Buffalo eliminated that option two weeks ago by trading away AJ McCarron, a 2014 fifth-round pick who has thrown for 920 yards and six touchdowns in 11 career appearances.

That forces Allen into the uncomfortable position of making his first start against the Chargers, who are itching to redeem themselves after allowing Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes to throw four touchdown passes in his second career start. Defensive end Joey Bosa will likely be sidelined, but what was a top-three defensive unit last year still has two other Pro Bowlers in pass-rusher Melvin Ingram and cornerback Casey Hayward.

“They fly around,” McDermott said of the Chargers’ defense. “They play fast. It’s a good scheme that they’ve got.”

INJURY REPORT

Lynn did not have updates on either Bosa or starting right tackle Joe Barksdale, who are week-to-week with foot and knee injuries, respectively.

Bosa sat out the preseason recovering from a left foot injury, and suffered a different injury to the same foot last week. He was scheduled to get a second opinion on the injury Wednesday.

Jack Wang covers the Chargers, the latest NFL team to relocate to Los Angeles. He previously covered the Rams, and also spent four years on the UCLA beat, a strange period in which the Bruins' football program often outpaced their basketball team. He is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he spent most of his time in The Daily Californian offices in Eshleman Hall — a building that did not become earthquake-safe until after his time on campus.